ESPN announces its extensive 2012 college lacrosse coverage across ESPN, ESPNU and ESPN3 with a schedule featuring nationally-ranked programs, top-caliber games and the addition of the ACC Men’s and Women’s and BIG EAST Men’s Lacrosse Championships. The schedule includes 49 total games – featuring 39 regular-season matchups, 37 men’s and two women’s games – plus the crowing of six conference champions on ESPNU and ESPN3. Coverage begins with No. 4 Johns Hopkins hosting Towson on Friday, Feb. 17, at noon on ESPNU.

Schedule highlights:

• At least one appearance from each team in the top 10 of Inside Lacrosse Division Preseason Rankings and 14 of the 16 teams that qualified for the 2011 NCAA Championship, including seven appearances from the defending champion Virginia
• ESPN will air two top-10 games – No. 7 Syracuse at No. 1 Virginia on Sunday, March 4, at 4:30 p.m. and the Cavaliers at No. 6 North Carolina on Sunday, April 7, at noon
• A rematch of the 2011 NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship game between No. 8 Maryland and top-ranked Virginia on Saturday, March 31, at noon on ESPNU
• ESPN3 will offer eight exclusive games including three appearances by second-ranked Duke – at No. 9 Notre Dame on Saturday, Feb. 18, at No. 8 Maryland on Saturday, March 3 and at Georgetown on Saturday, March 24
• Games from four in-season tournaments – Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic (Baltimore) on Saturday, March 10, Konica Minolta Big City Classic (East Rutherford, N.J.) on Sunday, April 1, ESPNU Warrior Classic (Charlotte, N.C.) on Saturday, April 14 and Mile High Classic (Denver) on Friday, April 27
• ESPNU will carry two regular-season women’s games plus the ACC Women’s Lacrosse Championship title match as part of ACC Monday on Monday, April 23, at 3 p.m.
• Five men’s conference champions will be crowned on ESPNU or ESPN3
  • The entire ACC Championship will air live on ESPNU beginning with the semifinals on Friday, April 20 at 5 and 7:30 p.m. and the title game on Sunday, April 22, at 3 p.m.
  • ESPNU will carry the final game of the BIG EAST Championship on Saturday, May 5, at noon along with the first semifinal on Thursday, May 3, at 4:30 p.m.; in addition, the second semifinal tilt will be at 7 p.m. on ESPN3
  • ESPN3 will be the home to the Ivy League Championship semifinals on Friday, May 4, at 5 and 8 p.m., while ESPNU will offer the title game that Sunday at noon
  • The America East and ECAC champions will be crowned on ESPN3

This season, the network’s telecasts will include a deep roster of experienced and knowledgeable lacrosse analysts: Ryan Boyle (Four-time All-American at Princeton), Paul Carcaterra (All-American at Syracuse and a member of 1995 National Championship team), Mark Dixon (former Johns Hopkins midfielder), Ryan Flanagan (All-American defenseman at UNC), Quint Kessenich (Four-time All-American at Johns Hopkins), Jamie Munro (All-American at Brown and former Denver head coach) and Matt Ward (former Virginia attackman and 2006 Tewaaraton winner). Play-by-play announcers include: ESPNU’s Anish Shroff, Joe Beninati (Bowdoin College goalie), Mike Corey, Ben Holden and Eamon McAnaney (Notre Dame defenseman). Newcomer Courtney Martinez Connor (Four-time NCAA Championship at Maryland) will handle analysis of the women’s games.

ESPN Network’s 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Regular-Season Schedule (Schedule subject to change; all times are Eastern) 

* – tape delay; rankings from Inside Lacrosse Preseason Poll

For the sixth straight year, ESPN networks will provide exclusive coverage of all 15 games from the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship. Coverage will be in high definition across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU beginning Saturday, May 12 and concluding with the national title game on Monday, May 28. ESPN3 and ESPN Mobile will also feature select games. In addition, the NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse Championship semifinals and national title game will be aired on ESPN networks on Friday, May 25 and Sunday, May 27.

COLLEGE PARK, MD. – Maryland men’s lacrosse coach John Tillman has released the Terps’ 2012 schedule. The schedule features six games against teams that made the 2011 NCAA tournament and seven home games scheduled for Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium.

Tickets will not be needed for the April 28 match vs. Bellarmine as that will be the featured athletic event of Maryland Day and will be open to the public as a part of the festivities on campus.

In addition to the Maryland Day game, the home schedule also features the rematch of the 2011 NCAA championship game in College Park as Maryland hosts Virginia on March 31 at noon and the annual intra-state rivalry with Navy on April 6 at 7 p.m.

“As always, this is a challenging schedule that will test our team from beginning to end,” said Tillman, who is entering his second season at the helm of the Terrapin program.

The Terps are coming off last year’s 13-5 campaign that saw them capture the ACC championship and reach the finals of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1998. Maryland returns five regular starters from last season’s squad, but also returns All-America face-off man Curtis Holmes.

Following two preseason scrimmages, the 2012 schedule kicks off with the first-ever meeting with Hartford on Feb. 18.

The following weekend finds Maryland traveling to Washington, D.C., for its annual showdown with Georgetown on Friday, Feb. 24.

The Terps then host its first ACC game of the season, a rematch of the ACC title game vs. Duke on March 3.

The team then has a quick turnaround with a road game at intra-state rival UMBC on Tuesday, March. 6.

The team plays Marist for the first time on March 10, before hosting Villanova on March 17.

The Terps conclude their ACC schedule with back-to-back games with North Carolina and Virginia. Maryland visits the Tar Heels on March 24, before hosting the Cavaliers on March 31. Both games are scheduled for noon starts.

Maryland hosts Navy in a primetime Friday night game on April 6 before traveling to Johns Hopkins on April 14 for the 108th meeting of “Lacrosse’s Greatest Rivalry.”

Maryland then travels to Charlottesville, Va., for the 2012 ACC Tournament at Klöckner Stadium on April 20 and 22.

The Terps will play at Mount St. Mary’s on April 25 before wrapping up the home schedule with Senior Day vs. Bellarmine on April 28.

A road game at Colgate on May 5 will provide the final tune-up for the NCAA tournament, which is set to begin on the weekend on May 12-13 and conclude with the National Championship game on Memorial Day, May 28, in Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

Frisco, TX (Sports Network) – It was a season that almost wasn’t for Towson freshman running back Terrance West, as he nearly redshirted and sat out the first game of the season.

There are only a few qualifications for WNST’s annual “Local Sports Person of the Year” award.

First, the person must be local. They must be an athlete, coach or front office member for a pro, college or high school team in the state of Maryland. Individual sport athletes who represent the state of Maryland also qualify.

Second, the person must stand out from other people over the course of the 12 calendar months. The accomplishments of that individual must be comparable to if not greater than the accomplishments of others in the area.

And finally, that person’s year must stand out from other years during their tenure/career in the area.

With those qualifications in mind it wasn’t difficult to determine candidates for the honor in 2011. Baltimore Ravens LB Terrell Suggs & RB Ray Rice, Former University of Maryland Terrapins basketball coach Gary Williams, University of Maryland lacrosse coach John Tillman and Kentucky Derby winning Shackleford trainer Graham Motion all seemed to be quality candidates.

In the end, determining a winner wasn’t particularly difficult.

Rob Ambrose arrived as the head football coach at Towson University with an introductory press conference in January 2009. At that introductory press conference, Ambrose boldly called for everyone connected to the Tigers to get on board with a program that hadn’t finished with more than seven overall wins or an above .500 record in conference play since the turn of the century.

“This is for everyone in the room and everyone watching and everyone that is going to read about this in the newspaper. This is not about me – not at all. It’s about the players in this room and it’s about all of you. It’s about all of the people outside this room – the community and the faculty and the fans and the students and the rest of the state that hasn’t figured it out yet. It’s our job to take this program and make it the program that we know it can be and know that it is supposed to be and it’s about time. So, tell your friends and your neighbors and your buddies. Call them all up. They’re invited. They’re all invited to this beautiful new house (Johnny Unitas® Stadium) and let’s turn this thing around and win some ball games.”

Through his first two seasons, any progress made in the football program wasn’t particularly apparent to the general public. Ambrose’s Tigers compiled a 3-19 record over those trying seasons and it was hard to imagine Ambrose was really making progress at his alma mater.

But something strange happened when I bumped into Rob Ambrose at CAA Media Day this summer at M&T Bank Stadium. Ambrose (and everyone around the Towson football program) was talking about word they hadn’t used much during the two previous seasons.

That word was “winning”. It had nothing to do with Charlie Sheen. I’ll let Coach Ambrose describe it himself…

TOWSON, Md. – Coming off a thrilling 2011 season in which they were the most-improved team in NCAA Division I football and won their first Colonial Athletic Association championship, Coach Rob Ambrose and the Tiger football team will play a challenging 11-game schedule next season.

Highlighting the Tigers’ non-conference schedule are visits to Kent State and Louisiana State, a pair of NCAA FBS programs. Towson has played one NCAA FBS opponent in the last four seasons, including Navy (2008), Northwestern (2009), Indiana (2010) and Maryland (2011). But, this will be the first time that Towson has played two in the same season.

The Tigers will be playing four of their five home games under the lights with 7 p.m. kickoffs. The home finale on Nov. 10 against Rhode Island will be played at 3:30 p.m.

Towson opens its 2012 season by facing Kent State University at Dix Stadium in Kent, Ohio on Saturday, Sept. 1. A member of the Mid-American Conference, Kent State came on strong at the end of the 2011 season, winning four of its last five games to finish the season with a 5-7 overall record. Kent State finished third in the MAC’s Eastern Division with a 4-4 record.

Three weeks after opening their season at Kent State, the Tigers will travel to Baton Rouge, La. to take on perennial national power Louisiana State in legendary Tiger Stadium. When the Towson Tigers face LSU on Sept. 29, LSU could be the defending BCS national champion. Currently ranked No. 1 in the nation, LSU is 13-0 and plays Alabama for the national title on Jan. 9 in New Orleans.

Towson, which averaged 8,949 fans per home game in 2011, opens its home schedule on Saturday, Sept. 15 by hosting William and Mary in its CAA opener at 7 p.m. at Johnny Unitas® Stadium. A week later, on Saturday, Sept. 22, the Tigers entertain St. Francis (Pa.) in a non-conference home game.

After the Tigers’ trip to LSU on Sept. 29, they return to CAA action when they visit James Madison University on Oct. 6. The Tigers and the Dukes were two of the five CAA teams that went to the NCAA FCS Playoffs in 2011. On Oct. 13, the Tigers host Maine in another CAA contest. Maine was the CAA runner-up to Towson in 2011.

On Oct. 20, the Tigers host Old Dominion in another 7 p.m. start at Unitas Stadium.

After the game against ODU, Towson will be on the road for the next two weeks, going to Villanova on Oct. 27 and then to regional rival Delaware on Nov. 3.

The Tigers, who will be seeking their second straight NCAA FCS Playoff berth, close out their home schedule on Nov. 10 when they host Rhode Island at 3:30 p.m. The regular season comes to an end on Nov. 17 when the Tigers visit New Hampshire.

The NCAA FCS playoffs start on Nov. 24.

Fans that renew or place a $25 deposit for new season tickets before Dec. 31, 2011 will be able to lock in 2011 season ticket prices for the 2012 season. Tickets can be ordered online at www.TowsonTigers.com or by calling the Athletics Ticket Office at 1-855-TU-TIGER.

The Tigers have 44 letter winners returning next season from a team that was ranked No. 8 in the nation in the final FCS poll. Led by a pair of all-CAA first-team selections, defensive end Frank Beltre (left) and safety Jordan Dangerfield, the Tigers have nine starters returning on defense.

Offensively, Towson has eight returning starters, including Terrance West, a first-team all-CAA running back who was named as the CAA’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. Left tackle Eric Pike, a third-team all-CAA selection, is one of four returning starters on the offensive line. 

A finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award as the FCS Coach of the Year and the CAA Coach of the Year, Ambrose is returning for his fourth season as the Tigers’ coach. Honored as the AFCA Region 1 Coach of the Year, he is also a finalist for the AFCA Coach of the Year award.

2012 TOWSON UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

* Colonial Athletic Association games

Notre Dame(5-3) vs. Maryland (3-3)
Sunday, Dec. 4 | 4:45 p.m. | Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
MASN | Terrapin Sports Radio Network

TOWSON, Md. - Making their NCAA FCS Playoff debut, Coach Rob Ambrose and the Colonial Athletic Association champion Tigers (9-2) will host Patriot League champion Lehigh University (10-1) on Saturday, Dec. 3 at Minnegan Field at Johnny Unitas® Stadium.

Towson and Lehigh are two of the 20 teams that were selected to play in the NCAA FCS Championship. They are two of 12 teams that earned first round byes.

Sam Houston State (11-0) is the top seed while North Dakota State (10-1) is the number two seed. Georgia Southern (9-2) is seeded third, ahead of Montana (9-2) and Northern Iowa (9-2).

The Tigers are one of five CAA teams that earned spots in the NCAA FCS playoffs. Old Dominion (9-2), Maine (8-3), New Hampshire (8-3) and James Madison (7-4) were also selected.

The Tigers, who edged Rhode Island in their final regular season contest to win their first CAA championship, are the first team in NCAA history to qualify for the NCAA Playoffs at the Division III, Division II and NCAA FCS level. In 1976, the Tigers qualified for the NCAA Division III playoffs and reached the Stagg Bowl, the Division III championship game. After a 14-10 victory over C.W. Post in the quarter-finals and a 38-36 semi-final win over St. Lawrence, the Tigers lost to Saint John’s (Minn.) in the championship game, 31-28.

From 1983 to 1986, the Tigers qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs three times.  In 1983, they lost to North Dakota State, 24-17. In 1984, the Tigers beat Norfolk State in the quarter-finals, 31-21. Then, they lost to Troy State in the semi-finals, 45-3. In their final season as an NCAA Division II program, the Tigers fell to Central State (Ohio) in the quarter-finals, 31-0. The Tigers have an all-time record of 3-4 in NCAA playoff games.

The most improved team in NCAA FCS this season, the Tigers have engineered a historic turnaround. After winning only one game in 2010, the Tigers have improved by eight games and will take a 9-2 record into the NCAA Playoffs. Picked to finish last in the CAA’s pre-season poll, the Tigers won the CAA with a 7-1 mark. Coming into the season, the Tigers had lost 26 of their last 28 CAA games.

The Tigers are just the second team in CAA history to go from “worst to first.” In 1998, James Madison finished last in the league with a 3-8 overall record and a 2-6 league record. One year later, JMU posted an 8-4 overall record and a 7-1 conference mark. The Dukes shared the conference championship with UMass in 1999. In 1997 and 1998, Massachusetts went from 2-9 to 12-3. But UMass didn’t win the CAA in 1998.

“It is tremendously humbling for me to be a part of this,” says the Tigers’ third-year coach. “This is the result of some incredibly hard work by everyone involved – the coaches, the staff, our players, our administration, the students and our fans. This is something that our football alumni have been waiting for.”

The Tigers entered the final weekend of the regular season tied for first place in the CAA with Maine. After their 28-17 win, the Tigers clinched the CAA title outright when New Hampshire edged Maine, 30-27.

Ranked among the Top 25 teams in NCAA FCS for the last eight weeks, the Tigers won the CAA by beating six nationally-ranked conference opponents. After opening the CAA schedule with a 31-10 victory over No. 20 Villanova, the Tigers edged No. 14 Richmond, 31-28. A dramatic 39-35 come-from-behind win over No. 18 Old Dominion enabled the Tigers to improve to 3-0 in the CAA. The Tigers’ 38-27 victory over No. 14 William and Mary gave them a 4-0 CAA record.

After a 35-30 loss to No. 21 Delaware, the Tigers bounced back with wins over No. 7 Maine (40-30) and No. 7 New Hampshire (56-42). They completed their march to the title with their 28-17 win at Rhode Island.

The Tigers have been led by an explosive offense. The Tigers are averaging 239.45 rushing yards per game, the top mark in the CAA. They are ranked ninth in the nation in rushing. Offensively, the Tigers are scoring 34.55 points per game. They are second in the CAA and rank 14th in the NCAA FCS. The Tigers are also second in the CAA with 439.36 yards of total offense per game, the 11th best mark in the nation.

Freshman Terrance West leads the Tigers’ running game. He has rushed for 1,242 yards on 183 carries, second in the CAA. Averaging 124.20 yards per game, he ranks tenth in NCAA FCS. A leading candidate for the Jerry Rice Award, presented to the top freshman in NCAA FCS Football, West has scored 27 touchdowns. His school record 27 touchdowns lead NCAA FCS. West, who had a career high 261-yard performance against New Hampshire, has rushed for more than 100 yards in six of his last seven games. He has scored at least two touchdowns in each of the Tigers’ last seven games.

Named as the CAA Offensive Player of the Week twice this season, West has also been selected as the CAA Rookie of the Week four times.

The play of the Tigers’ offensive line has been vital to the team’s success. Senior tackle Henry Glackin has teamed up with sophomores Eric Pike, Charles Johnson, Randall Harris, Anthony Davis and Doug Shaw to provide the Tigers with outstanding line play.

Sophomore quarterback Grant Enders has excelled as the leader of the Tiger offense all season. Named as the Colonial Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Week twice this season, Enders has completed 153 of 224 passes for 1,867 yards and 14 touchdowns. With a 151.8 passing efficiency rating, he is second in the CAA and ranks 11th in NCAA FCS. Averaging 224.6 yards of total offense per game, Enders ranks fourth in the CAA.

Turnover ratio has also been vital to the Tigers’ success this season. During the regular season, the Tigers have compiled a plus-eight turnover ratio, a mark that is third in the CAA behind Old Dominion (plus-ten) and Maine (plus-nine). The Tigers have turned the ball over 16 times while forcing 24 turnovers. The Tigers have thrown ten interceptions and only lost six fumbles. The Tigers have recovered 11 fumbles and intercepted 13 passes.

A pair of linebackers, junior Alexander DiSanzo and freshman Kenton Powell, are tied for the team lead with three interceptions. This is noteworthy because the Tigers only intercepted two passes in the 2010 season. DiSanzo is fourth on the team with 64 tackles while Powell has 54 tackles and is sixth on the team. Junior safety Jordan Dangerfield, senior safety Nick Oates and freshman cornerback Tye Smith each have two interceptions.

Dangerfield leads the Tiger defense with 82 tackles in nine games. He is eighth in the CAA with 9.1 tackles per game. Junior linebacker Danzel White issecond on the team with 77 tackles in nine games.

Junior defensive ends Frank Beltre and Romale Tucker have given the Tigers outstanding play on the line. While Tucker leads all CAA defensive linemen with 69 tackles in 11 games, Beltre is fourth with 63 tackles. A member of the Pre-Season All-CAA team, Beltre leads the Tigers with 11 tackles for lost yardage. He is also the team leader with four quarterback sacks. Tucker has made 3.5 sacks and is tied for the team lead with two fumble recoveries.

Tickets for the Tigers’ NCAA FCS playoff game against Lehigh are currently on sale by calling 1-855-TUTIGER (888-4437).

BALTIMORE, MD – The Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse team is ranked fourth in the 2012 Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook Preseason Poll it was announced today. The Blue Jays return nine starters from last season’s team, which posted a 13-3 record and advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals.

Defending national champion Virginia tops the poll, which counts Duke, Cornell, Johns Hopkins and Denver among the top five as well. Johns Hopkins will play four of the top eight teams in the poll during the 2012 regular season as the Blue Jays will take on top-ranked Virginia, sixth-ranked North Carolina, seventh-ranked Syracuse and eighth-ranked Maryland.

Head coach Dave Pietramala will return four All-Americans among his nine returning starters as midfielder John Ranagan (1st Team), defenseman Tucker Durkin (2nd), goalie Pierce Bassett (2nd) and attackman Chris Boland (honorable mention) are all back. Amazingly, of the nine returning starters, only one, Boland, will be in his final year of eligibility in 2012.

The Blue Jays will return their top two scorers in Boland (34g, 20a) and junior attackman Zach Palmer (22g, 25a) and every other player on the team who registered five or more goals and 10 or more points last season. In addition, Durkin and Bassett will lead a defense that returns also Chris Lightner and Jack Reilly, who joined Durkin as 16-game starters on close defense last season.

Johns Hopkins will open the 2012 season on Friday, February 17 when Towson visits Homewood Field. Johns Hopkins’ complete 2012 schedule will be announced no later than Friday, December 9, 2011.

2012 Face-Off Yearbook Preseason Poll
Rk. Team
1. Virginia
2. Duke
3. Cornell
4. Johns Hopkins
5. Denver
6. North Carolina
7. Syracuse
8. Maryland
9. Notre Dame
10. Villanova
11. Hofstra
12. UMass
13. Yale
14. Penn
15. Bucknell
16. Princeton
17. Drexel
18. Colgate
19. Harvard
20. Penn State

Friday may have been an exhibition contest in Mark Turgeon’s first ever game at College Park, but the new Maryland coach took it with all the seriousness in the world.

The Terps defeated the Northwood Seahawks 89-84 in their exhibition opener at the Comcast Center, and despite the victory, head coach Mark Turgeon said that the team has a lot to work on going forward and it starts with tomorrow’s practice.

Maryland overcame 23 turnovers to fight off the Seahawks as the Terps struggled with a 13-point halftime lead, and Turgeon said that’s not acceptable to him.

“We’re just not very good with the basketball,” Turgeon said. “Guys aren’t very good. The decision-making isn’t very good.”

Northwood came in from last season posting a record of 33-4 and an unblemished 16-0 record in the Sun Conference.

The Seahawks’ coach was former Villanova legend Rollie Massimino, who brought the Wildcats a title in 1985.

Turgeon felt like they provided a great first test for his young unit.

“That was a good win for us,” Turgeon said. “Believe it or not, we got a lot better this week. [But], I tried to get out of the game. I couldn’t get out of it. Rollie wouldn’t let me out of the game.”

Up by 13 at the half, Northwood came out blazing out of the locker room, a 2010 first-team All-American Jonathan Dunn had 29 of his game-high 34 points in the second half.

Fellow teammate Patrick Hortsmann also finished with a double-double for the Seahawks, and he was a huge chore for Maryland in the first half-earning 12 of his 21 points under the net.

More balanced than Northwood, Maryland had five players finish in double-figures, highlighted by sophomore guard Terrell Stoglin’s team-high 23 points, five assists, and five rebounds.

Stoglin started slow in Friday’s contest committing several turnovers and only getting eight points, but a much more improved second half along with his teammates contributing allowed Stoglin to settle down a little bit.

Turgeon said that at times, Stoglin was trying too much.

“Terrell just tries to do too much. One-on-threes, one-on-fours…whenever he has to take seven or eight dribbles to take a shot,” he said. “It’s probably not a good thing for everybody concerned.”

However, Turgeon knows that if anyone has to be a catalyst for this offense, Stoglin is it.

“We’re just trying to get that corrected,” Turgeon said. “He was much better today than he was in our first scrimmage. Terrell made two big plays for us.”

Joining Stoglin was senior guard Sean Mosley, who also finished with 20 points and six rebounds.

Mosley agreed with his coach that they got a huge test tonight from Northwood.

“I think college basketball is tough,” Mosley said. “They played pretty well tonight. We just have to protect our home court.”

Mosley tied for the team-lead in turnovers with five, and he said that’s on him to correct those mistakes before the start of the regular season.

“It’s just a matter of us learning from the mistakes we had late in the stretch,” he said. ” It’s some of the things that we need to work on. I think we’re starting to get better as a team overall.”

Friday was also the first time Maryland fans got a look at freshman guard Nick Faust (City), who played considerable minutes with returning guard Pe’Shon Howard out with a foot injury.

Faust played 27 minutes for Mark Turgeon and finished with 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting, but he was 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.

However, he only played nine minutes in the second half after leaving with cramps in his thigh.

The highlight of the game for Faust came at the end of the first half with time winding down. Faust was dribbling the ball up the court with just seconds left on the clock, and forced a desperation shot from half-court in an attempt to hit the buzzer.

He did, and the 55-footer gave Maryland a 44-31 lead going into the half.

Still, Turgeon said that despite the showcase,the young Faust needs to be more selective with his shots.

“Quite frankly, he wasn’t very good offensively until he had the desperation-3 and then he hit the long one before the half,” the Maryland coach said. “He was 1-for-5 going into those two shots. Then he got going in the second half.”

The other player that Maryland Nation has been keeping a watchful eye on is 7’1  freshman center, Alex Len, out of the Ukraine.

Len-who when he plays during the regular season will be relied on for defense and scoring under the basket-played 16 minutes Friday night but was forced to sit most of the game with two early fouls.

It will be awhile before Terps fans will see Len again, as he will be suspended the first 10 games of the season by the NCAA for guidelines regarding amateurism.

However, senior forward James Padgett (10 pt, 9rb) and Ashton Pankley (12p, 5 rbs) played well in his place, and those two will have to bridge the gap until Len can return and be the force in the middle for Turgeon.

Padgett said that he’s been constantly chatting with Len and offering any advice he can give.

“He was so excited when he found out he could play today,” Padgett said. “He actually cried. It was a big moment for him. I was real proud of him.”

Maryland has nine days to prepare for UNC Wilmington in their real season opener November 13th, and that’s the date they’re circling on the calender for now.

“We’ve got guys that when things aren’t going well, they go in five different directions, and I’m trying to correct that,” Turgeon said. “Hopefully we can correct it by Sunday.”

WNST-We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports!

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — This is admittedly a lazy post. I’m writing this about 15 minutes before the Maryland football game against Boston College at a cold, rainy Byrd Stadium.

Here are a few notes from Saturday’s University of Maryland basketball scrimmage at Comcast Center.

-Head coach Mark Turgeon had no update on the status of freshman C Alex Len’s NCAA Clearinghouse case. Turgeon noted that the school has believed they would receive an answer multiple times recently, but still does not know. Len is still not practicing and did not participate in the scrimmage.
-Turgeon would not rule out the possibility that sophomore G Pe’Shon Howard could miss the season and receive a medical redshirt. It was announced earlier in the week that Howard was expected to miss 10-12 weeks with a broken foot. Howard spoke to reporters after the scrimmage and said he would have no problem if he had to miss the season and receive a redshirt year. “I love college” said the Los Angeles native.
-With Howard out, sophomore G Terrell Stoglin becomes the team’s primary point guard. Turgeon confirmed his plan before Howard’s injury was to have Stoglin play the 2 guard role and Howard the point. Turgeon also confirmed freshman G Nick Faust (City College) will be the team’s backup point guard, but suggested senior G/F Sean Mosley (St. Frances) could also run the offense at times. Stoglin told reporters he welcomed the opportunity to run the point, Turgeon confirmed Stoglin’s excitement-noting the Arizona native is hoping to play 40 minutes a game.
-Faust was the day’s leading scorer with 15 points. Senior F Berend Weijs chipped in 13. Turgeon did not make Faust available to the media following practice. Junior G Jonathan Thomas was the leading scorer amongst the team’s walk-ons with five points. With only seven scholarship players practicing, Turgeon told reporters the team was looking for a walk-on guard to step up.
-Turgeon suggested Stoglin, Mosley and Faust are the only starters he’s decided on thus far. Turgeon said Mosley has improved his shooting in practice despite struggling Saturday. Mosley told reporters his struggles had something to do with a chest cold he was battling.
-As first reported by InsideMDSports.com, 2012 Terrapins big man commit Shaquille Cleare (The Village School-Houston) was at the scrimmage on an official visit.
-The Terrapins will hold a closed scrimmage against George Washington Sunday. The closed nature of the scrimmage means there will be no reporting on the event from the media or the school. The Terps hold their first exhibition game Friday night against Northwood (Florida) at Comcast Center. The Seahawks are coached by former Villanova head man Rollie Massimino.

Hear from Turgeon, Stoglin, Mosley & Howard in the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault here at WNST.net!

-G